Matters of the Heart (6 page)

Truth was she
was a big city girl, ambitious and this hick, as she’d ended up calling him,
wasn’t what she wanted.

The whole
damn thing had put him off women, relationships, and fucking.

However, a
man could only go so long without thinking about sex. It was one of the laws of
the universe.

He turned
over on to his back.

No, that
wasn’t the reason. He wasn’t thinking about sex in general, he was thinking
about having sex with Lucy.

Chapter Five

Lucy
remembered what Brad had told her about needing to be the first one to use the
bathroom each morning. She heard him walking about in the hallway and didn’t
want to risk running into him in those shorts again so she stayed safely in her
room.

 
Not that she hadn’t admired
the wonderful view last night.
She’d done that and a whole lot more. But
then she’d felt embarrassed when she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off his
crotch and his obvious erection. She’d even gotten a slight peek at his dick,
too, which she knew had made her blush big time. She sat on the bed and put her
face in her hands, reliving the uncomfortable feeling all over again. She
hadn’t known what to say or what to do, but luckily Presley had needed feeding
so she’d been able to take refuge down in the kitchen.

It wasn’t
that she found his shorts or erection inappropriate, but she’d wanted him so
badly that it had sent her hormones into overdrive. Her breasts had ached,
their nipples had gone on high alert, and the stirring in her pussy had been
like nothing she’d ever experienced before. By the time she’d gotten back to
her room, she’d had to go in search of a dry pair of panties. And once she’d
gotten into bed, she’d just laid looking up at the ceiling, wondering what it
would be like to have Brad make love to her, maybe in the very bed in which she
slept.
 

Lucy had
worked herself up so much that she’d even contemplated dragging out her
vibrator. The only thing that had stopped her was realizing that its humming
noise would probably travel through her bedroom wall and wake Brad up. He would
have guessed what it was, and what she was doing which would have led to yet
more embarrassment.

She heard the
bathroom door opening and knew it was safe to go and get Presley and head
downstairs. When she reached the kitchen, Brad was already dressed in his
sheriff’s outfit and making coffee. His hair was still a little damp and
brushed back. He was freshly shaven and she detected a whiff of woodsy
aftershave which stirred up her libido again.

“Good
morning. Did you sleep well after you went back to bed?” he asked.

“Yes, I fell
asleep straight away.”

I wish.

“Glad to hear
that. Remember if you want a TV in your room just holler.”

“No, that’s
fine, really but if the offer’s still open, can I watch the one in the living
room?”

No, maybe she
should stay in her room but it was too late, she’d already asked.

“Sure, do
whatever you please. In fact, there’s a nature show on about lions of the
Serengeti later this week if you want to watch it with me after Presley goes to
bed.”

That sounded
pretty harmless.
Nothing sexy about that.

“Sounds
great,” she said.

The phone
rang just as Brad had finished filling the coffee maker.

“Hello,
Sheriff Ryan speaking.”

He paused and
Lucy could hear a woman’s voice on the other end.

“Hi,
Ms. Sutton.
Yes, she’s settled in just fine. Yes, she’s right here.”

He offered
her the phone. “It’s Ms. Sutton for you.”

Lucy raised
her eyebrows and took it from him. Maybe she’d found her a match.
“Hi, Ms. Sutton.”

“Will you
please call me Sadie?”

“Sure, Sadie,
it is.”

“I’m heading back
to
Helena
today
so I wondered if you and Presley would like to meet me for lunch before I
leave?
”

“That’s sound
like something we’d both love.”

“Okay, how
about Stacey’s Café on

“We’ll be
there.”

“Okay, see
you then. Bye.”

Lucy handed
the phone back to Brad. “Presley and I have a lunch date with Sadie Sutton at
Stacey’s Café.”

“Well, well,
a girls-only get together. What do you think about that Presley?”

The baby
kicked her legs and sucked her fist again.

“Gives her
the perfect opportunity to wear one of her new outfits,” said Lucy.

****

Brad leaned
back in his office chair. It had been a slow morning. Apart from a local
rancher being warned about a broken tail light on his truck, nothing really
significant had happened in the world of law enforcement. Although he didn’t
want a crime spree in Pine Ridge, he wished something work related would keep
his mind occupied. Since he’d driven away from the house that morning all he’d
thought about was Lucy.

He’d been
foolish enough to point out the Nature special on TV, and that maybe she’d like
to watch it with him. Not that he couldn’t handle it, he could. They wouldn’t
sit on the couch together. He’d make sure he sat in the armchair, a few feet
from the other chairs, and in no way would their legs and arms touch.

Legs and arms.

Hers were
beautiful and he longed to touch them. Her skin made him think about the
porcelain vase his grandmother had once owned.
Both wonderful
works of art.

Glancing at
the photo he’d taken of Presley and put in a frame on his desk, it reminded him
of the reason, and the only reason, that Lucy was in his life. She was a
lifeline. The young woman who took care of his little girl so he could continue
to be sheriff and keep law and order. If he kept that in focus, everything
would be okay and his life would continue as normal.

****

Sadie smiled
when she saw Lucy struggling through the door with the baby carrier. She looked
so cute and just like a real mom. Lucy stood by the register looking a little
lost so Sadie stood and waved to her.
 

“This baby is
so adorable,” she said as Lucy put the carrier on the table, took off her coat
and mittens, and then slid into the chair opposite Sadie. “And look at this
cute dress and these leggings.”

“Her daddy
bought them for her,” said Lucy, tickling Presley’s tummy until she giggled.
“Thank you for inviting us today.”

“Well, I
thought we should get together before I drove back to
Helena
. I wanted to see how you’re settling
in with the sheriff. I mean at his house.”

“Fine, he’s
very nice. He’s already made me feel at home. It should really be me buying you
lunch for finding the job with him.”

“I’m just
glad I could be of help. Now about finding you someone through
Perfect
Pairing…”

Sadie didn’t
have anyone in mind. In her heart she knew she’d already found the ideal mate
for Lucy, but the young woman had to find that out for herself, for the whole
match matching thing to work. Right now Sadie just wanted to gauge Lucy’s
feelings about Brad and to see if her instincts, once again, had been correct.

“Do you think
we could that put that hold?
 
I mean so I
can settle into this job before I think about dating.”

Sadie smiled.
Oh yes, she’s already got some feelings
for him.

“Of course,
and whenever you’re ready just give me a call and I’ll put the wheels in
motion.”

Now all the
sheriff and Lucy needed was a little coaxing. Sadie ran her hand over her
purse, making two tickets appear in one of the zippered pockets.

 
“Before I forget, my friend in town has two
tickets to see a show at the playhouse, but unfortunately she’s going out of
town and I’m not a fan of plays so I thought you might like them.”

Sadie pulled
them out and slid them across the table to Lucy.

“Thank you,
but I don’t know anyone here who I can invite to go with me.”

“Of course
you do, the sheriff.”

“But…”

Sadie wagged
her finger. “You’ll both need a break from being around this cute baby. And why
don’t I come and babysit for the night while the two of you enjoy the show?”

Lucy was
about to say something but Sadie raised her hand.

If she knew
mortals as well as she thought she did, the protest was down to her feeling
something for the handsome lawman. Sometimes the universe didn’t even need help
from a witch but it sure was fun doing a little meddling.

“Now let’s
see what’s for lunch, shall we?” asked Sadie, opening the menu.

****

Lucy put down
her book and turned her head to listen to the sound of the vehicle approaching
the house. She was already able to recognize the sound of Brad’s sheriff’s
truck pulling into the driveway. Next she heard the garage door opening. She
stood and walked through the hallway to the kitchen where within minutes he was
tapping the snow off his boots on the mat by the garage entry
door.
He took off his gloves and rubbed his hands together.

“I think the
temperature’s dropped since I left the office,” he said.

“At least it
stopped snowing,” said Lucy.

“How’s
Presley been today?”

“Like an
angel. No trouble at all.”

Lucy smiled
as Brad went over to where Presley sat in the playpen he’d brought for her the
night before, and lifted her out. He planted a kiss on her forehead and then
she grabbed some of his hair and tugged at it.

“Hey, hey,
that hurts Daddy,” he said taking her hand away from his head. “Something
smells really good in here.”

“I made some
chili this afternoon. It’s my grandmother’s recipe.”

“In that case
let’s sit down and eat because I’m starving.”

He pulled out
a chair, sat, and then placed Presley on his knee. “How was your lunch with
Sadie Sutton?”

“We had
wonderful time. She’s a fun lady. Oh, and she gave me two tickets to see a show
at the playhouse. I told her I didn’t know anyone in town but she thought you
might like to go along too. She even offered to babysit Presley.”

At first he
didn’t say anything so Lucy wondered if she’d overstepped the line. Would he
consider it a date? Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut and gone on her
own or not at all.

“That was
very kind of her and yes, a night out would probably be a welcome break for
both of us.”

Lucy released
the breath she’d been holding in since she’d first asked him. That was out of
the way.

She served up
two bowls of the chili and placed them on the table.

He ate with
one hand, while continuing to hold Presley, who was now fingering the placement
in front of him.

“Wow, this is
pretty good,” he said.

“Glad you
like it.”

“Is your
grandmother still alive?”

“Yes, she
lives in Kalispell. She moved back there when my grandfather passed away ten
years ago. How about you? Are your parents and grandparents still alive?”

“Nope,
they’re all gone, I’m sorry to say.”

“Is that a
photo of your mother on the wall in the living room?”

Brad nodded.

“I guessed it
was. Presley has the same shape face and eyes.
You too.”

“Yeah, that’s
what I thought the first time I saw my daughter.”

“It must have
been a shock to you. I mean finding out you had a child.”

Maybe she was
overstepping the line here, entering territory that wasn’t any of her business.

“It was,
especially when I didn’t even know my ex-girlfriend was pregnant.”

Lucy sat back
on the chair, suddenly intrigued to know what Presley’s mom looked like, and
what had attracted Brad to her.
Something else that’s none of my business.

She fingered
the stitching on the napkin just as Brad’s phone rang.

“Here, let me
take Presley for you and I’ll go and give her a bath before she goes to bed.”

****

Brad rinsed
the chili from the bowls and placed them in the top rack of the dishwasher.
Lucy was a great cook. Well, he hadn’t tried any of her other meals, but she
was a five star chef with chili.
 
All he
needed now was a nice cold beer. He took one from the fridge, popped open the
top, and took a sip.